"Police got here and made sure that people on both sides of the exposure were awake and alert to what was going on," Castle Shannon Fire Chief Bill Reffner said. "We established a protection for the exposures while we started the attack."

The homeowner who ran for help was later taken to a Pittsburgh hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.

McRoberts Road was closed between Sixth Street and Grove Road while crews responded to the fire.

The fire marshal is investigating, although the cause appears to be accidental.

"We got a report from the homeowner, but we're going to do a follow-up to make sure that's what happened since they were trying to get out of the house at the same time, and there was fire in several spots," Reffner said.